Authorities said they are investigating a murder-suicide after a woman and her two infants were found dead in a submerged SUV in an Augusta pond, according to multiple media reports.

On Friday afternoon, the bodies of Shaquia Philpot and her 10-month-old twin sons, Caysen and Cassius Williams, were found inside a 2010 Nissan Murano, the Augusta Chronicle reported. The family, who was from Hephzibah, drowned in the vehicle, officials said.

A witness who was fishing in the area spotted the vehicle Friday afternoon. Mayor’s Pond is located off Lock and Dam Road.

On Monday, the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office ruled the tragic incident a double murder-suicide, the Chronicle reported. Authorities have not determined why she drove the SUV into the water.

The GBI will perform the three autopsies. The incident remains under investigation.

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Ceudy Gutierrez reads a book to her 2-year-old son, Matias, at their home in Buford, GA, on Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2025. Ceudy Gutierrez is struggling to make ends meet for herself and her three young kids following her husband’s ICE arrest earlier this fall. (Miguel Martinez/ AJC)

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